Rail joint and rail joint fastening



July 17, 1934. E, c L 1,966,868

RAID JOINT AND RAIL JOINT FASTENING Filed Dec. 28. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet lTigil July 17, 1934. c. NEAL 1,966,868

RAIL JOINT AND RAIL JOINT FASTENING Filed Dec. 28. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2fm emor Affor ey Patented July 17, 1934 RAH; JQIN'IPANDRAILt J OINFDFASTENING Ernest .0. Neal, C'oquille, Oreg., assig'nor to Bail,-

way Track-Joint Corporation, Goquille; 0reg'., a eorporationcfi OregonApplication December 28, 1931, Serial No. 583,463

8 Claims; 7 (Cl: 238"244) My United States Patent applicationfiled-herewithis related to my United States Patent applicationfiledrespectively on this date, upon the following invention: a-methodof assembling rail joints, filed December 28,1931, Serial No. 583,462.

My rail joint isprimarily comprised ofthree.

elements, abase member, a splice member and wedge. Each joint iscomprised of a set of. each of these units of three parts placed on theoppositely-disposed sides of therail ends and secured thereto byfastening bolts.

My invention relates to track joints, or spliced joints for rails usedprimarily as railroad rails.

The primary object of my invention is to provideatrack joint placeableat the. abutting ends ofrailroad railsthat will make thespli'ce at the:joint as strong asv the intermediate sections of the rail.

A'further object of my invention consistsin providing a track joint thatwill remain tight and develop its full strength without the sagging ofthe.

rail at the joint when used in actual railway: use and where trains arein constant. operation over the rails.

A-further object of my invention consists in providing a track joint forrailroad rails-that may bemaintained in prime operating condition withpractical freedom from adjustment and repair.

A further object of my invention consists in providing a track jointthat will maintain the rail ends in desired spaced relationship at alltimes.

A2 further object of my invention consists in providing a track jointthat will prevent. tight steel developingbetween the railends.

A further objector"v my invention consists in providing a track jointthat will prevent the creeping: of the rails Astill further object of myinvention consists in'providin'g a track 'joint'that will formthe railsinto a continuous girder; and that will forma trackajoint of the samerigiditynnd'strength as the intermediate part of a the rail.

.A further object of my invention consists in providing a track jointthat willadapt itself to the wave action of the rails when used in heavytrain traffic and that will remain tight and in full strength at alltimes.-v 7

A; stillfurther objectof my invention consists inprovidinga track jointwhere'the use, of lock ,washersand other devices are practicallyclimbnated.

, A.further object of my'invention consists in providing a track jointthat may be periodically tightened through theuse ofasledge or. trackmall and be; aecomplished by inexpensive-help.

A further object of my invention consists, in providing atrackajointthat successfully prevents the chipping oii :of the rail endsdue. totight steel and battered rail ends due to excessive space.

Aifurtherobject'of invention consists in;

providing: a trackjoint that prevents the forming. of low-joints attirerail ends.

With these and incidental .objectsgin View; t e;

invention consists in certain-features, of con: struction andcombination ofiparts, the-essential elements of which :are set zforth'in the. appended claims,. and a; preferred ,fOlIlllOf embodiment ofwhich is hereinaftershown with: reforenoeioihfi drawings. whichaccompany and ,form a port: of this specification.

In the drawings:

Fig; 1 is aperspective, side'view ofa track: joint inwhioh mynew;and'improved splicebar is-used for the making of the. splice atthe-rail;end.

Fig. 2: is;.a=.perspective; side-viewof thc ends of vthe' rail atthe-joint andillustrating. the; base barin place-upon the base oftheflange of the. rail.

Fig; 3.-is a-perspective, side View, ofrthe .wedge thatis to: be placedwithinthe longitudinal recess disposed upon the upper suriacegof-thebasebar.

Fig. 4 islla perspective, side view; of the splice bar.

Fig. his a side view of the completed joint-in place;

Fig. dis a perspective, side view; of ;the base of'the joint; that isptobe used. uponrelatively heavy railroad :ra-il sections.

w Fig. '7 is asectional; perspective; end view: of one-ofrmynewandimproved splicesainplace at the joint end of the rail;

Fig; 8 is a sectional end view of one of my new and improved joints inplace upon the rail.

Like reference. characters refer tolike parts throughout the severalviews.-

My inventioniscomprised primarily of a set of three units, a base bar 1;a wedge. 2', and a splice bar 3: The base-bar is adapted to fit and toconform to the upper surface of one'side of thebase 4 of the rail'5:v A.ledge 6;runs-longi-. tudinally of the underside of the outer edge of thebase bar 1. Alongitudinal'groove 'l'is disposedilongitudinally of thetopside of the'base bar. Upwardly extendinglegs 3- and 9 are disposedat. theoppositely disposed sides of the longitudinal ggroovefl. Theinner-walls 10,.and 11 v of the legs are disposed substantially at.right anglesto the base ofthe groove-'7 andare substantially disposedparallel to each; other. The bottom groove "71 uniformly. slopes fromoneend of the base bar to the other end of the base bar relative to thatof the base 12.

Where the base bar is to be used on medium weight steel rails, boltreceiving depressions 13 are disposed in the upper surface of theupwardly extending legs. Where the base bar is to be used on relativelyheavy railroad rails, these bolt receiving depressions 13 may bedispensed with.

The wedge 2 has a base 14 slightly less in width than the width of thelongitudinal groove 7. The wedge is adapted for being placed within thegroove '7. The wedge has parallelly disposed side walls 15 and 16 and atop surface 17. The top surface 17 of the wedge 2 lies in a single planeand the bottom surface 14 of the wedge 2 lies in a single plane, but thetop surface 17 and the bottom surface 14 do not lie in parallel planes.

The wedge uniformly increases in cross sectional area from the thin end18 to the thick or heavy end 19. When the wedge 2 is placed within thelongitudinal groove 7, the upper surface 17 of the wedge and the lowersurface 12 of the base bar will lie in parallel planes.

The splice bar 3 is primarily composed of a base 20, that is adapted tofit within the longitudinal groove 7 and to rest upon the upper surfaceof the wedge 2. The side walls 21 and 22 of the base of the splice bar 3precisely fit within the longitudinal groove and precisely engage theinner surface of the upwardly extending legs 8 and 9. A ball 23terminates the inner upper surface of the splice bar and a web section24 connects the ball with the base of the splice bar. Bolt receivingholes 25 are disposed within the 5 splice bar through which thefastening bolts for the joint pass.

Lug receiving recesses 26 are disposed within the oppositely disposedsides of the upwardly extending legs of the base bar into which anoutwardly extending projection 2'7, disposed upon the oppositelydisposed sides of the splice bar, are made to engage. This preciselymaintains the splice bar and the base bar in position relative to eachother and to the rail and prevents the crawling, or the creeping of theone relative to the other and to the rail.

When the joint has been assembled upon the oppositely disposed sides ofthe rails at the joint and the fastening bolts 28 are placedtherethrough, the inner surface 29 of the upwardly extending leg 8 ismade to precisely engage within the fillet disposed between web 30 ofthe rail and the inner surface of the wedge.

' The top surface of the wedge when it is in place within thelongitudinal groove forms a horizontal support for the splice bar and itlies in a plane parallel to the top surface of the head of the rail.

When the joint has been perfected and tightened upon the rail ends thespace 32 disposed between the rail ends is determined and made to meetthe requirements of temperature and track use. The wedges are thentightened to stress the web 30 of the rail, the upper surface 33 of thesplice bar precisely conforms to the head angle 34 of the underside ofthe head of the rail. The side wall of the head of the rail, ifprojected downward, falls outside of a vertical center line of thesplice bar. The inner side wall of the splice bar is parallel to theouter wall of the head of the rail when the splice bar is in position.

An anchor 35 is positioned upon the flanges of the rail and the thickend 19 of the wedge is spaced apart from the surface of the anchorsubstantially half the distance that the rail ends are spaced apart asillustrated at 32 in Fig. 2, an anchor 35 being placed at each end ofthe joint when in place.

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirablyadapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form ofembodiment herein shown and described, as it is susceptible ofembodiment in various forms, all coming within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a rail jointcomprised of a base bar, a wedge and a splice bar adapted for beingplaced at either side of the ends of railway rails when the same are inplace for being spliced, the base member having parallelly spaced legsthat upwardly extend from the base to form a longitudinal groovetherebetween, the metal forming the baseof the longitudinal groove beingthicker at one end than at the other end, lug receiving recessesdisposed in the oppositely disposed inner side walls of the upwardlyextending legs, a wedge having diverging top and bottom walls adaptedfor placement within the longitudinal groove and a splice bar adaptedfor placement upon the wedge and between the parallelly disposed legs,said splice bar having bolt receiving holes dis: posed therein, andprojections outwardly extending from either side, that are adapted forengaging within the recesses disposed within the inner side walls of theupwardly extending legs.

2. In a device of the class described, in combination with the adjacentends of the rails of a railway track, of a base bar adapted to fit uponthe upper surface of the flange of the rail, a lon-, gitudinal groovedisposed within the upper surface of the base bar, lug receivingrecesses disposed within the side walls of the longitudinal grooves, awedge disposed within the longitudinal groove, the side walls of whichprecisely engage the side walls of the longitudinal groove, a splice baradapted to rest upon and to engage the upper surface of the wedge whendisposed within the groove, the upper surface of the splice bar adaptedfor engaging the fillet and the head angle of the under side of the railhead, bolt receiving holes disposed within the splice bar, and an anchoradapted to engage the base of the rail and to be placed in spacedrelation with the thick end of the wedge.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base bar andsplice bar associated therewith, said base bar being adapted forengaging the top surface of the base flange of a railway rail, a ledgedownwardly extending from the bottom surface of the base and adjacentthe outer edge of the base and said ledge being adapted to positelydisposed end of the longitudinal groove,

one or more recesses disposed in the oppositely disposed inner sidewalls of each of the legs to receive locating lugs extending outwardlyfrom said splice bar, and bolt receiving depressions disposed in theupper surface of each of the legs.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base barcomprised of a single piece and a splice bar associated therewith, theprimary bottom surface of the base bar being adapted to engage directlyupon the top surface of the base flange of a railway rail, a legupwardly extending from the inner edge of the base and adapted to engagethe fillet and the web of the rail, a second leg upwardly extending fromthe base to form a longitudinal groove between the respective legs, thebottom surface of the groove lying in a single plane, the depth of themetal disposed below the bottom surface of the longitudinal groove beingthicker at one end of the groove than at the other end of the groove,one or more lug receiving depressions disposed upon the inner surface ofeach of the legs to receive locating lugs extending outwardly from saidsplice bar, a flange downwardly extending adjacent the outer edge of thebase, said flange being adapted for lying parallel with the outer edgeof the base flange of the rail and spaced therefrom when the base bar isin position upon the base flange of the rail, and bolt receivingdepressions disposed in the upper surface of each of the legs.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base baradapted for being placed upon the top surface of the base flange of arailway rail, legs upwardly extending from the base of the base bar toform a longitudinal groove therebetween, the bottom surface of thelongitudinal groove being inclined to the horizontal, a wedge adaptedfor being placed within the longitudinal groove and between the legsthat upwardly extend from either side of the longitudinal groove, thetop surface of the wedge lying in a horizontal plane when placed withinthe longitudinal groove, the wedge being substantially longer than thebase bar, a splice bar adapted for being placed within the longitudinalgroove and for resting upon the wedge, a Web disposed centrally of thebase of the splice bar and upwardly extending therefrom, a ballterminating the inner, upper surface of the splice bar and adapted forprecisely fitting the under side of the ball of the railway rail whenplaced in normal position therebeneath, bolt receiving depressionsdisposed in the upper surface of each of the legs of the base bar, boltholes spaced apart and extending through the web of the splice bar, andlug receiving depressions formed on the inner surface of each of thelegs to receive locating lugs extending outwardly from said splice bar.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base bar,the bottom and inner surface of the base bar adapted for fitting andengaging the top surface of the flange of a railway rail and the innersurface of the Web of a railway rail, legs upwardly extending from thebase bar to form a longitudinal groove therebetween, lug receivingdepressions disposed upon the inner surface of each of the legs, thebottom surface of the longitudinal groove being longitudinally inclinedto the horizontal, bolt receiving depressions disposed within the uppersurface of each of the legs, a Wedge adapted for placement within thelongitudinal groove, the top surface of the wedge lying in a horizontalplane when placed within the longitudinal groove, said wedge beinglonger than the base bar, and a splice bar, the base of which is adaptedfor being placed within the longitudinal groove and for resting upon thewedge, a web upwardly extending centrally of the base of the splice bar,a ball disposed upon the web of the splice bar, said ball being adaptedfor precisely engaging and fitting the under side of the ball of arailway rail when normally placed thereunder, lugs outwardly extendingfrom either side of the base of the splice bar and adapted for engagingwithin lug receiving recesses disposed within the inner sur face of thelegs of the base bar, and bolt receiving holes extending through the webof the splice bar.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a base barhaving a longitudinal groove disposed in the upper surface thereof, awedge adapted for being placed within the longitudinal groove, a splicebar adapted for being placed within the longitudinal groove and forresting upon the wedge, the base of the base bar and the ball of thesplice bar being adapted for fitting the top surface of the flange of arailway rail and the bottom surface of the ball of a railway rail,respectively, the wedge being longer than the base bar and the splicebar, means for preventing a retractive movement of the splice barrelative to the base bar, and means for pre venting the retractivemovement of the wedge relative to the base bar and the splice bar whenthe splice bar is fixedly positioned upon a railway rail.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of railsplices, each pair being comprised of a base bar, a wedge and a splicebar, means for securing each of the splice bars to a pair of rails atthe rail joint, means for preventing the retractive movement of thesplice bar relative to the base bar, and means for preventing theretractive movement of the wedge relative to the splice bar and the basebar.

ERNEST C. NEAL.

